Automated call requests with status updates

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, relating to synthetic call status updates. In some implementations, a method includes determining, by a task manager module, that a triggering event has occurred to provide a current status of a user call request. The method may then determine, by the task manager module, the current status of the user call request. A representation of the current status of the user call request is generated. Then, the generated representation of the current status of the user call request is provided to the user.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
 accessing, by a call initiating system for placing telephone calls and conducting conversations between a bot of the call initiating system and human representatives of organizations during the telephone calls, a set of linked nodes that represent a predefined, idealized conversation workflow, each node being linked by a set of one or more respective intents; 
 accessing training data comprising audio samples of a respective human operator completing a task by conversing with a respective human representative from a group of human representatives of various organizations; 
 for one or more audio samples corresponding to the respective representative of an organization responding to the respective operator, updating the predefined, idealized conversation workflow by associating a representation of the audio sample with one of the intents in the predefined, idealized conversation workflow or newly connecting nodes of the predefined, idealized conversation workflow using a newly defined intent; 
 performing, by the call initiating system, the task for a human user by initiating a telephone call with a human representative of an organization that is not included in the group of human representatives from the various organizations; and 
 using the updated conversation workflow, conducting, by the bot of the call initiating system, a telephone conversation with the human representative of the organization that is not included in the group of human representatives from the various organizations. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the representation of the audio sample comprises a transcription of the audio sample. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein each of the one or more audio samples is manually annotated. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , comprising annotating each of the one or more audio samples using a machine learning-trained classifier. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , comprising assigning a likelihood that the one or more audio samples is associated with each respective intent. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the idealized conversation workflow is updated before any bot of the call initiating system initiates a telephone call to any human representative of the various organizations or of other organizations not included in the various organizations to perform the task. 
     
     
       7. A call initiating system for placing telephone calls and conducting conversations between a bot and human representatives of organizations during the telephone calls, the system comprising:
 a processor configured to execute computer program instructions; and 
 a computer storage medium encoded with the computer program instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the system to perform operations comprising:
 accessing, by a call initiating system for placing telephone calls and conducting conversations between a bot of the call initiating system and human representatives of organizations during the telephone calls, a set of linked nodes that represent a predefined, idealized conversation workflow, each node being linked by a set of one or more respective intents; 
 accessing training data comprising audio samples of a respective human operator completing a task by conversing with a respective human representative from a group of human representatives of various organizations; 
 for one or more audio samples corresponding to the respective representative of an organization responding to the respective operator, updating the predefined, idealized conversation workflow by associating a representation of the audio sample with one of the intents in the predefined, idealized conversation workflow or newly connecting nodes of the predefined, idealized conversation workflow using a newly defined intent; 
 performing, by the call initiating system, the task for a human user by initiating a telephone call with a human representative of an organization that is not included in the group of human representatives from the various organizations; and 
 using the updated conversation workflow, conducting, by the bot of the call initiating system, a telephone conversation with the human representative of the organization that is not included in the group of human representatives from the various organizations. 
 
 
     
     
       8. The system of  claim 7 , wherein the representation of the audio sample comprises a transcription of the audio sample. 
     
     
       9. The system of  claim 7 , wherein each of the one or more audio samples is manually annotated. 
     
     
       10. The system of  claim 7 , wherein the operations comprise annotating each of the one or more audio samples using a machine learning-trained classifier. 
     
     
       11. The system of  claim 7 , wherein the operations comprise assigning a likelihood that the one or more audio samples is associated with each respective intent. 
     
     
       12. The system of  claim 7 , wherein the idealized conversation workflow is updated before any bot of the call initiating system initiates a telephone call to any human representative of the various organizations or of other organizations not included in the various organizations to perform the task. 
     
     
       13. A computer-readable storage device encoded with a computer program, the computer program comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more computers, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:
 accessing, by a call initiating system for placing telephone calls and conducting conversations between a bot of the call initiating system and human representatives of organizations during the telephone calls, a set of linked nodes that represent a predefined, idealized conversation workflow, each node being linked by a set of one or more respective intents; 
 accessing training data comprising audio samples of a respective human operator completing a task by conversing with a respective human representative from a group of human representatives of various organizations; 
 for one or more audio samples corresponding to the respective representative of an organization responding to the respective operator, updating the predefined, idealized conversation workflow by associating a representation of the audio sample with one of the intents in the predefined, idealized conversation workflow or newly connecting nodes of the predefined, idealized conversation workflow using a newly defined intent; 
 performing, by the call initiating system, the task for a human user by initiating a telephone call with a human representative of an organization that is not included in the group of human representatives from the various organizations; and 
 using the updated conversation workflow, conducting, by the bot of the call initiating system, a telephone conversation with the human representative of the organization that is not included in the group of human representatives from the various organizations. 
 
     
     
       14. The device of  claim 13 , wherein the representation of the audio sample comprises a transcription of the audio sample. 
     
     
       15. The device of  claim 13 , wherein each of the one or more audio samples is manually annotated. 
     
     
       16. The device of  claim 13 , wherein the operations comprise annotating each of the one or more audio samples using a machine learning-trained classifier. 
     
     
       17. The device of  claim 13 , wherein the operations comprise assigning a likelihood that the one or more audio samples is associated with each respective intent. 
     
     
       18. The device of  claim 13 , wherein the idealized conversation workflow is updated before any bot of the call initiating system initiates a telephone call to any human representative of the various organizations or of other organizations not included in the various organizations to perform the task.